


A Thousand Years

by KisaraMoriarty777



Series: Tell Me What You're Scared Of (TMA Series) [7]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Betrayal, F/F, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Lost Love, Love, Love Confessions, Multi, Slightly spoilers of Mag 38 and higher, The Corruption (The Magnus Archives) - Freeform, The Eye (The Magnus Archives) - Freeform, The Stranger (The Magnus Archives) - Freeform, The Web (The Magnus Archives) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KisaraMoriarty777/pseuds/KisaraMoriarty777
Summary: Statement of Annabelle Cane regarding her relationship with Nikola Orsinov and Jane Prentiss
Relationships: Annabelle Cane/Jane Prentiss, Annabelle Cane/Nikola Orsinov, Annabelle Cane/Nikola Orsinov/Jane Prentiss, Nikola Orsinov/Jane Prentiss
Series: Tell Me What You're Scared Of (TMA Series) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894333
Kudos: 4





	A Thousand Years

Oh. Hello there. Are you new here? 

_M… Miss Cane. I… It is nice to meet you in person. And no. I mean, yes, but technically no. I don’t technically work here. I am just helping cover for Mr. Bouchard while he is out on some personal business. Um… did you need him?_

No. Not at all. I was just here to… well… give a statement, actually. 

_Oh. Well, I can take your statement if you would like. I did one before._

Yes. Mr. Spider told me. 

_How is he doing, by the way?_

Why do you wish to know?

_Oh… I just… I_

I might have been a little out of line there. I apologize. It is just… you are quite the odd one, Liana. You are drawn to one entity, yet three hold claims on you. 

_No one owns me. I won’t be tied to an entity I don’t want to be connected to. And that includes the Web._

A little harsh, don’t you think? After all, drawing and binding are what we do. 

_You don’t understand. I… I can’t be manipulated by another entity. Not… not after what happened last time. I can’t go through that again._

You… I… of course. I am sorry. I had forgotten that that was you. We… you must know that we would never do that to you. Please know that. Not even the Spider would do something like that. You know how much he hates **him** too. 

_Please. I would rather not talk about that. Not with you. I don’t wish to be rude or anything… but it is just not something I’m ready to share yet. I… I just can’t._

Then I shall share my story, and maybe you will see a more… human side to me. Maybe it will show you we are not all like **him**. 

_Alright. Um… statement of Annabelle Cane regarding?_

The closest thing to love that she ever had. 

_Statement taken direct from subject. Statement taken by Liana Rasen. Statement begins._

You never really know when you are going to meet the love of your life. You might have hope to meet them by a certain time in your life. You might hold out hope that it is someone you already know. That someone in your personal life already is your soulmate. But you never really know when exactly they will come into your life. Not even if you are an avatar who is used to bending fate to her will. 

I began working for the Web quite some time ago. It was both a survival move… and a personal choice, you could say. See, I felt helpless in my human life. I felt alone and afraid. I had to manipulate and lie just to get somewhere in life, and that leaves you feeling awfully cut off from others. No matter how much others try, they simply cannot connect to you when all they know of you is a lie or a misdirection. Not only that… but I felt as though no one understood me. As though I was the only one in this sort of situation. Even when I joined the Web, that feeling remained. Because the other avatars of the Web loved that control. The Spider, for example. He loves being able to control and manipulate people. Loves the fear and helplessness in their eyes. You know, he asked me once why I did not get the same thrill. Control was something which featured so heavily in my life as a human, so he did not understand why I disliked pulling the strings of others so much. 

“You are a natural. You should really embrace your gifts,” The Spider advised once as he tied up his latest victim, stringing them to his web. I sighed. 

“Yes. I know. I just… I suppose I am still much too human,” I had told him at the time. The Spider had laughed at this. 

“Maybe. I suppose you always will be though. Shame. You could be quite the killer if you just let go of those pesky little human emotions that you cling to so tightly,” he had chuckled. I had laughed along with him, but it was a fake laugh. For part of me… it did not wish to be rid of the human part of myself. Even though I knew it would make things so much easier. 

Anyhow, I should continue on. This is, after all, not a tale of how I got connect to the Web. I am quite sure that I will tell the Archivist my tale at some point in the future. But this story… it is one I shall not tell him. For I know he will not understand, nor will he listen. 

I met Nikola Orsinov a long time ago, and I met Jane Prentiss quite sometime after that. When I met Nikola, I was on a mission to try and lure a fresh soul to my domain. It was the soul of a young man in his early twenties. He was the ringleader of a circus. 

_Orsinov? The original, I mean._

No. No. Not quite that long ago. I was not even an avatar at that point. This ringleader was merely a young fellow from a traveling circus whose name I do not remember. Anyhow, he had caught the attention of the Web when we realized the reach that he had over those who visited the circus. Oh, and he had a very strong fear of spiders, which added nicely to the mix. 

I had gone to claim him for the Web when I noticed the presence of avatars from another entity. I could feel the uncertainty and confusion in the air, and practically smelt the lack of identity coming from them. I sighed. The Stranger’s avatars always had a very distinct air to them, so I knew who I was dealing with right away. 

Nikola and Sarah Baldwin came around one of the corners and paused when they saw me. I saw Nikola smile and wave to me. Sarah… she looked less impressed with me being there. She had a scowl on her face and I did not miss the snarl she did when she first saw me. 

“Hello! It is Annabelle Cane, right?!” greeted Nikola excitedly. I nodded and did my best not to punch her in the face. 

_Love at first sight, huh?_

Haha. Don’t get me wrong, I fancied her right off the bat. I’d never had a chance to meet her in person before, and when I first saw her, she was stunning beyond my wildest dreams. She moved with perfection and elegance that I had never seen before. Her voice was soft and sweet. Like honey. She wore this bright red and black ringleader costume that suited her beautifully, and she had blood-red lipstick on that brought out her vibrant purple eyes. Actually… the lipstick could really have been blood for all I know. But anyhow, even though I found her to be exquisite, she was still very, very irritating. And you must understand that I just wanted to do my job, get the target, and get out of there. Something I intended to make very clear to Nikola and Sarah. 

“I am here for the ringleader,” I told them. Nikola giggled at this. 

“For little old me? Oh my! I am flattered!” _Nikola said. I blinked in confusion before realizing the mix-up and blushing deeply._

“No! I meant the other one. The one from this circus!” I replied. Nikola pouted. 

“I’m much prettier than he is. And… well… that is just plain rude! You Web avatars! All work and no play! So boring!” she whined. 

“He is ours,” snapped Sarah. Nikola turned to her. 

“Now, Sarah! Do not be so cold to our new guest!” scolded Nikola with a pout. Sarah rolled her eyes at this. 

“What do you want from him?” Sarah asked me. 

“To claim him,” I replied. 

“As an avatar?” she questioned. I shook my head at this. 

“No. Just as a snack of sorts. He has quite the fear of spiders, so the Web took a liking to him,” I answered, leaving out the part about using his circus to spread our influence. I didn’t really see the point in adding it in, knowing she’d just give me more hassle for it. Sarah, nevertheless, still growled at this. 

“Find a new one. He is ours,” she demanded. She had a knife in her hand and looked ready to strike. Nikola seemed to take notice of this and placed a hand casually on her shoulder. 

“No need to get all worked up. We can share him! Make it a little… bonding thing!” Nikola suggested. Part of me wanted to refuse. To tell her to bugger off and let me do my job. But another part of me was intrigued. Was drawn in by her perky attitude and excited demeanor. Part of me liked the idea simply because it would provide a change in pace for me, and so… I went for it. 

“Sounds fair enough to me,” I replied. 

“Seriously?!” cried Sarah in shook. 

“Yes. Why not? I see no rules against it for our entities. Plus, don’t you have avatars who help other entities from time to time?” I sassed back. Sarah was unsure how to reply to this, so she merely grumbled some choice words and stormed off. 

“I guess we will just have to do it ourselves!” Nikola exclaimed. She then proceeded to skip over to where the ringleader was and I followed her lead. 

One thing you must understand is that Nikola is very good with faces. In this instance, she looked like any other human you might see on a day to day basis, which was why no one remarked on us wandering around the circus. I also looked very human, though if one were to look close enough, they could possibly spot the bits of webbing still stuck in my hair. Though you’d have to have a very keen eye for that, and luckily for me, the ringleader did not. He really only noticed us when we were standing right behind him. 

“Oh! Sorry! Didn’t hear you ladies walking up! Gave me a fright! Anyhow, did you two need something?” the ringleader asked us. 

“Hello there! I must say that I rather love your circus! It is very well put together!” Nikola told him. The ringleader stopped what he had been doing and turned to Nikola with a bright smile on his face. Now, if he could have seen her true face, I doubt he would have been smiling when he looked to her, but he was blinded by her illusion and thus his smile remained. 

“Thanks, doll. You’re new here, right? I’d remember seeing you around if you’d been here before,” he flirted. Nikola, seemingly unaware of his attempts to flatter her, nodded. 

“Yes! I am actually from a traveling circus too! Another one, that is!” she replied. 

“Oh! Lovely! Where is your ringleader? I’d love to talk business with your boss,” he said. Nikola laughed at this. 

“You already are though!” she laughed. I saw his smile flatter a little at this and made a mental note of this action. 

“I don’t understand,” he said, looking around to see if the ringleader would jump out from behind him or something. 

“I am the ringleader, silly!” laughed Nikola. And the ringleader laughed too. Only… I knew it was mocking laughter. Cruel laughter. 

“Sure you are, darling!” he said as he howled with laughter. Though she might have been oblivious to his flirting, she knew when someone was mocking her. Knew when they were being cruel. 

“Yes. I am,” she insisted, less cheerful than before. And the ringleader stopped his laughter too. 

“Look, this was cute before, but it is not cute anymore. Where is your boss?” he snapped. 

“But I am the boss! I am the ringleader for my circus!” Nikola stubbornly repeated. The ringleader then did something I did not expect him to. 

He walked up and he slapped Nikola hard in the face. 

“A woman as a ringleader?! Please! Don’t make me laugh! You’d best learn your place, girl!” he growled. 

Nikola had a look that I’d never seen on her before. She looked hurt and she looked afraid. Terrified even. I could see the raw fear in those normally bright and vibrant eyes. Her chest was rising and falling at a rapid pace and she had small tears that were streaming down her face. I’d never even known that she could physically cry until that moment but seeing her crying like that… it was truly heartbreaking. 

“I am not your toy…” she muttered. 

“What did you just say to me?” the ringleader asked. I was about to warn her to back off. To just go and we could find another target… but then she screamed, and I stepped back, shocked. 

“I AM NOT YOUR TOY!” screamed Nikola, and she launched herself at him. She began to cut his flesh off into strips and he screamed in pain. 

“Oh dear. What happened here?” questioned Sarah, who’d likely been attracted back by the blood-curdling screams. 

“He insulted Nikola. Said a woman could not be a ringleader,” I replied. Sarah laughed. 

“Yeah. That would do it,” Sarah chuckled. I saw admiration within her eyes as she watched Nikola rip the man to shreds. I looked down. 

“He slapped her. Hit her across the face and she… she got all quiet,” I told her. I saw the expression on Sarah’s face change from admiration to fear and worry. Not for herself, but for Nikola. 

“You should go after you get what is left of him,” Sarah told me quietly. 

“Why? What happened to her? Nikola… she seemed so… so…” I began, but Sarah cut me off. 

“Orsinov. The original one, I mean. He… He wasn’t kind to her. He treated her like his toy. His personal toy. But… no matter what she did… it was never good enough. She told that he used to hit her. Hard. And because she was not human… well… no one cared. He was just roughing up some old toy. That was all. So… she suffered like that for years. One day, she decided it was enough. That she couldn’t take living like that anymore. She killed the old Orsinov and she finally got to be the ringleader that she always longed to be. But not without its costs. Those demons of her past, the horrid nightmares, and the horrible flashbacks still haunt her today. And I know that, deep down, part of her still feels like she does not deserve to be the ringleader. Even after all this time… his words still cut deep into her heart,” Sarah informed me. 

I was… stunned, to be honest. Nikola had always seemed to be so carefree and jolly. If not for what Sarah had told me in that moment, I never would have guessed that she was going through so much. That she had so much pain behind that beautiful and enchanting smile. It broke my heart. 

I walked up to Nikola and I knelt down beside her. I fought tears as she turned to me and forced a smile. I smiled softly at her. 

“He is still alive. Remarkably so. You can have the rest of him if you want,” Nikola said to me. I just hugged her tightly and started to cry, unable to fight the tears any longer. 

“You are the best ringleader in the world. You deserve to be a ringleader and anyone who says otherwise is a fool and a coward. Don’t you ever forget that,” I whispered to her. Her eyes widened and she pushed me away with a harsh shove.

“I know that,” she snapped. She then stood up and left. Without so much as another word or glance back. She just got up and left. Sarah followed her and I did not see them again for months. But I did not resent her for it. I understood why she’d done it. Because… 

_When you harbor a secret for that long and struggle through that pain in silence… you get used to hiding it._

Yes. Exactly. 

It was Christmas of that same year when I got the strange box. I was at my apartment when they showed up. The bell rang and I opened the door to see two identical delivery men standing there with a small box in their hands. 

“Package for Ms. Cane,” said one. 

“You have to sign for it,” the other added. 

“I didn’t order any…” I began, but then I sensed it on them. The aura of avatars. I sighed. “Who is it from?” I asked. I had expected it to be from the Spider or from Mr. Spider but was not sure why they would send me something instead of simply coming by to drop it off. 

“Ms. Orsinov did, miss,” one told me. 

“Said it was real important, she did,” the other chimed in. I raised an eyebrow at this. 

“Oh?” I questioned. I signed for the packaged and then took it from the one holding it. 

“You have a good Christmas season, miss,” said the one I had just taken the package from. 

“Try to enjoy it,” the other called as they both left my apartment. I realized that they must have been the infamous Breekon and Hope. I had heard of them and they had worked with the Web before, but I’d never actually met them before that day, so it was nice to put faces to the names, even if the faces and names were stolen. 

I walked to my kitchen and set down the package on my table. It was square-shaped and had red and orange wrapping paper. There were tiny ornaments glued to the paper to try and add more flare to it. I smiled at this. I then opened it carefully and found a card taped to a small wooden box. I opened the card. 

“Dearest Annabelle,

I hope you are well. Are you enjoying the holiday season? I hope you are. We are, so that has been good. Sarah made cookies for us. Sugar cookies! Breekon and Hope insisted on working through the season, but they promised to take Christmas and Christmas Eve off, so that is a start. And it did help because it meant I could get them to drop this gift off to you. And this card.

Anyhow… I guess what I really wanted to say was… I’m sorry. I was awfully rude when we met before, and I hope that you can forgive me for that. I just… I wasn’t ready to share my past with you yet. But I think I am now.

Sarah mentioned that she already explained to you a little about my past. What she told you was true. Orsinov… he made me feel useless all the time. 24/7. There was no escape for me. So, I did it. I killed him. And I don’t regret it one tiny little bit. Because now… I am mostly free from him. Mostly. He still haunts me in my life now though. No matter how hard I try to escape my past… he keeps me trapped there. Sometimes it feels like I will never be free from the shackles of my past. Sometimes it all hurts so much. I know most people assume I can’t feel. After all, I’m not even alive. Not really. Just the shell of Grimaldi. I think that was the real reason that Orsinov hated me so much. He resented Grimaldi. Hated him for the freedom he had through me. And he took it out on me. Or… us? I’m not sure. Am I Nikola, Grimaldi, or both? I don’t know. He thought I was still a little bit Grimaldi, but I don’t feel like Grimaldi. I… I want to be Nikola. I am not supposed to, yet I do. I want to be someone. I want people to know me as Nikola. Nikola Orsinov. Not Grimaldi. Nikola.

I think you are the same as me. Not exactly, but close. You don’t want to be Annabelle Cane or the puppeteer. I think you just want… well, to be. To live without the expectations of others. I think you long to be free of all this, and you just don’t know how to be.

I’d like to figure out how. With you. You… you are new. Interesting. I like you. You are nice too. So, let’s get together. Meet up and chat a little. If you want to, call me. My mobile number is on your phone.

Cheers!

Nikola Orsinov,”

I stared at the letter, unmoving for a while. She had sent me a letter to apologize to me and to ask me to meet? I was unsure of what I was supposed to do. I could not tell anyone. I knew that. The other manifestations of the Web were not exactly the best with social things. Though I would learn later on that Mr. Spider is quite the hopeless romantic, I had not known it at the same. So, I was on my own. 

Did I go to meet her? Did I reject her offer flat out? Did I pretend that I did not get the invitation? What was I supposed to do? I was not used to having to make choices like this, but it seemed that the Web was not giving me any sort of direction when it came to my little situation. 

I noticed that, in my panicked state, I had forgotten to open the gift that was in the box the card had come with. I picked it up and carefully opened it. I could not help but tear up a little when I was greeted by the sight of what was in the box. 

It was a hand-carved carousel with mini-figures which could be placed onto it. It could play music too and would spin around as the tune of “The Itsy, Bitsy Spider,” played. Instead of horses though, the figures were to be placed on beautiful model spiders. They were painted lavender and crimson. The color of her eyes, and the color of mine. The spiders danced around as the music played, the normal pole which connected them to the carousel weaving them up and down as though playing with puppets. I… I loved it. I still love it. It was truly beautiful and the gift that I will forever treasure the most from Nikola. Other than her love, of course. 

_So! Did you call her?! Or did she call you?! OH! Did you call each other?!_

N… no. How would that even work? 

_Oh… yeah. Right. Sorry. It is just… it all sounds so sweet._

Hehe. I can see why you and Mr. Spider get along so well. But you are right. It really is… was… too sweet. Anyhow, I contacted her first. We met up shortly after. I tried to ask how she had gotten a chance to sneak her number into my mobile, but she never did tell me. One of the many mysteries I will never know about her. 

We went out. A lot. When we were not hanging out or working, we’d be calling or texting. It was wonderful. We got to know each other better and we fell in love. The more time that we spent together, the more we’d fall in love too. I even ended up getting a place with her. We did not move all of our stuff there, obviously, but we did stay there when it would not cause any suspicion. 

We meet Jane awhile later. She was newly… changed when we met her. Though she was happy as an avatar, she was still quite scared and quite confused. It did not help that her transformation was one that led to a lot of physical changes too, which meant she had a new body to get used to as well. I… I will admit that when we found her in that old apartment… I wanted to leave her there. The Web and the Corruption are not typically on the best grounds. But Nikola… she had an immediate fondness of Jane. 

“We should take her in! There is more than enough room for her in the apartment! We could help her learn the ropes!” Nikola exclaimed when we saw Jane. 

“Nik. We are not going to just take her home. She is an avatar. She can take care of herself,” I protested.

“I agree with the weird spider lady. Leave me alone,” Jane growled. 

“No! No! No! We simply will not do that!” Nikola replied stubbornly. Jane rolled her eyes and tried to stand up. 

“Uh, yeah. You will,” she snapped, but then she fell to the floor with a crash. 

“See! She is very clearly in need of our help! And it would be awfully rude of us to leave her here on her own!” Nikola cried out. I looked to Jane, who was still trying to stand and failing quite badly. I sighed in defeat, knowing that Nikola was right. 

“Fine,” was all I muttered as a reply. Nikola let out a happy little squeal, kissed me, and then she rushed to help Jane up. 

The first few months of our relationship was rocky, to say the least. Jane actually warmed up to us pretty fast, and Nikola adored her. But me… I was jealous of Jane. I felt like Nikola was going to leave me for Jane. Shut me out of her life. And that scared me so much because… Nik was my life. My love. My everything. The thought of losing her was almost too much to bear. Have you ever had that? Such a deep love that the thought of losing them terrifies you more than anything? 

_I… yes. Once before… but I did lose them. It was not meant to be, I suppose._

Oh. I am sorry to hear that. 

_It was a long time ago. This is not my statement either, Ms. Cane. So, if you would please continue, that would be lovely._

Of course. Well, I did my best to make Jane’s life a living Hell. I would do anything I could think of to make her feel lost, alone, left out, or just downright miserable. And she was. She began to spend less and less time with Nikola. She became distant… and Nikola took notice of this. She knew that I was behind it as well. But Nikola… she was an angel. Far too sweet to say anything about it to me. No. As much as I thought it would be her to ultimately bring up the topic, to my shock it was Jane who approached me about it. She came to me one afternoon and told me in no uncertain terms that we needed to chat. 

“What do you need?” I asked her. She sighed and sat down across from me. 

“We need to talk about Nikola. About us and Nikola. She hates it when we fight. She’s never told us that, but I know it. And I can tell you noticed that she knows too. I hate seeing her sad, and she gets sad when we fight. I… I love her too much to see her sad, and I know you love her too. I mean, you do love her, right?” Jane said to me. I hesitated but then nodded. 

“Yes,” I answered. 

“And if not for me liking her… what would you think about me?” Jane asked. I was unsure of how to answer that. To be honest, the only reason I disliked her was because I was worried she’d take Nikola away, but if that were set aside… 

“I suppose you are an alright woman,” I replied. 

“Do you like me? Would you, I mean?” she asked. 

“Sure?” I answered, confused about why she was asking all this. 

“Way I see it is that… we both love Nikola… and… to be honest with you… I kind of really like you too,” Jane admitted to me. 

“WHAT?!” I cried as I nearly fell off my chair. Jane laughed at this. 

“Yeah. No joke. I’ve had a crush on you since the moment I met you. I mean, you are still way too upright and stuff… but it is kind of hot. Not going to lie. You are a mystery to me, Annabelle, and I want to get to know you better,” Jane told me. 

“But I thought you liked Nikola?” I countered. Jane gave me a soft smile. 

“I do. I love her, and I have feelings for you two. You two are the people I care about most in the whole world. The people I love. The people that I would want to spend my life as an avatar with. I guess though, the question is, do you like me back?” Jane replied with confidence which truly stunned me. I did not know what to say. 

Did I like Jane? Part of me wanted to say no, because of how long I had spent hating her for the attention Nikola gave her. But part of me also knew that… yes… I did like her. She was undeniably beautiful, and she was, in all honesty, a very kind woman. Sassy as Hell, yes, but still kind to those she cared about. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the only reason I had to hate her was because of my feelings for Nikola. But could I see myself opening my heart to both of them… yes. Yes, I could. 

“Why?” was what I actually replied. I wanted to know why she was asking before I answered her. 

“Well, I thought that the three of us could get together. I mean, we could just try it. No need to make anything official just yet, but we could try it out and see if all of us are happy. We could see if it works. If not, we go back to being friends and roommates. If it does work though… then great!” Jane suggested. Again, I was stunned and impressed by her confidence. Had it been me, I’d have stammered around like a fool before getting to the point, and wasted half-an-hour doing it. But she was so sure of herself and so confident. Something I really admired, and still do admire, about her. 

“Ok,” I replied. Jane’s eyes widened at this. 

“Ok?” she asked. I nodded. 

“Ok. Let’s try it. If the two of us end up just trying to destroy each other, then we will break things off and explain that to Nikola. Oh, and before all of this is official or anything, we have to ask Nikola. She is just as much a part of this as we are, and just because we both love her, doesn’t mean we get to make this choice for her,” I instructed. 

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jane said to me. 

“Good,” I replied. So, with that conversation in mind and our hearts in our hands, we set off to find Nikola. 

We ended up finding her in the study. She was reading some new magazines that she had bought about skincare. She smiled when I entered the room, and then smiled more when Jane came and stood beside me. I could see the happiness and relief in her face as she saw that we were not fighting and that happiness made me smile more too. 

“Hello! Good to see you both!” Nikola exclaimed in her regular cheery voice. Jane and I both sat down across from her. Nikola raised her eyebrow as Jane and I both looked at each other, unsure which of us would actually speak first. In the end, I ended up speaking first. 

“Nikola… do you… do you… have feelings for us?” I asked her. She set down the magazine with a small sigh. 

“Yes. I do,” she replied. 

“Well… how would you feel if we… if we were all to be in a relationship together. We could all be romantic partners. The three of us,” Jane suggested. Nikola’s eyes widened at this.

“You mean like a poly relationship?” she asked. Jane and I nodded. 

“Yes. Exactly. We could try it out and see if we would all be happy together,” I explained. 

“If we are not, we can go back to how things are now,” added Jane. Nikola did not have to take any time at all to consider the proposal. She leaped across the table and pulled Jane and me into a tight hug. 

“Yes! I would love that ever-so-much!” she giggled as she showered Jane and me with kisses. 

“You know… I just realized something,” Jane said. 

“What?” I asked her. 

“We are going to be one Hell of a power trio. The Stranger. The Web. The Corruption. Hell of a trio if I do say so,” Jane commented. We all shared a look and a silent moment as we realized that she was, in fact, right. 

We truly did make a Hell of a trio. We were so much stronger together than we ever were apart. We began hunting in a group on missions, and all our missions were successful. I would lure the target out, Jane would trap them, and Nikola would provide the entertainment and the final kill. No one even came close to escaping us. Not unless we wanted them to. And in all truth, how could they have? We moved as a single unit. A perfect unit. It took time to perfect it, and there were many struggles, but overall… we were a lethal combination. 

But we were not only a great team in hunts and battles. No. We actually made a really cute trio too in terms of our relationship. Jane and I began to warm up to each other more now that we were not acting like petty teenagers. We got closer and closer, and we both got closer to Nikola too. We learned more about each other in the months we spent together than I think I know about anyone else… from the start of my life to now actually. 

We had so many wonderful times together. There were movie nights spent at the house. Jane and I would cuddle up to Nikola and she would drape blankets over us. Jane would make hot chocolate with extra marshmallows for us and she’d bring extra napkins because one of us always ended up spilling it. Normally Nikola when she got too excited or worked up about something that happened during the movie. Oh! There were the times when we would go out for either dinner or bowling or something, and we’d practically be attached at the hip. We would walk into somewhere like we owned the place and we looked killer. Oh, we were the envy of everywhere we went. 

There were times when we’d have one on one time, or when we would just hang out along. Sometimes I’d go catch a movie with Nikola while Jane stayed home and chilled. Sometimes Jane and Nikola would go out and I’d catch up on some weaving. Sometimes Jane and I would go out and Nikola would make some more face masks. It was honestly a really good relationship. We were there for each other when we needed each other, and if one of us needed space, the other two would back off and give them that space until they were ready to chat. Sometimes someone would just not want to share about some stuff, and that was fine too. We loved each other and that was what really mattered. But… good things too often come to an end, don’t they? 

Nikola and the Stranger were hard at work trying to get the plans for their ritual finalized. It was no easy task, let me tell you. She would sometimes tell Jane and I how hard her work had been. How stressed she was getting. It did not help either that Sarah was constantly breathing down her neck. Pushing her to move things along quicker. Nikola had wanted to take her time on things and enjoy planning the ritual, but this became nearly impossible with Sarah always on her case. During the later months of our relationship, Nikola was having to spend more and more time at the carnival or with the circus group. 

Nikola wasn’t the only one who was getting busier near the end of our relationship though. Jane would come home and tell me that she had spent the day dealing with some matters for the Corruption. She would leave and bring along some extra worms, though I took notice of the fact that that she would come home with less and less of the little darlings than she would leave with. 

_Do you know what she was doing?_

No. I could have found a way to know, but I gave her space and privacy. I did not want to involve myself in her business, nor did I want to invade her business. Anyhow, she began spending less time at home too. 

As for myself… I had some issues too. See, the Spider had taken note of my close relationship with Nikola and Jane. And though there are no specific rules stating that avatars cannot date outside of those who serve their entity, it is highly frowned upon by most. And the Spider was very much against it. One day, while I was doing a mission I had taken on while Nikola and Jane were on a date together, the Spider confronted me. 

“Hello there, Annabelle. I haven’t seen you around much as of late,” he called as he came towards me with a cocky grin on his face. He’d taken on a human form as to not attract attention, and I hated this because it meant he could just walk around where he pleased for as long as he pleased. Meaning he could torment me for as long as he wanted. 

“Yes. It has. I have been busy,” I coldly replied to him. 

“Why is that? Why don’t you seem to come to our domain anymore? Mr. Spider and I have been quite lonely without you,” he asked. I sighed. 

“Look. Sorry, I’ve been off on my own, but I just work better when I am not stuck with a team. Speaking of work, I have a target to find, so if you would kindly leave me to it, that would be lovely,” I told him. The Spider let out a wicked laugh at this. 

“Oh! Funny you should say that! See, I have heard a little rumor that you’ve gotten quite close with two avatars. Made your own little team of sorts, so they say. And it turns out, these avatars are not even from the Web,” he rambled. 

I swallowed hard. I felt fear and dread fill me in a way it had not in years. I felt sick. Felt dizzy. I wanted to run and scream. To warn Jane and Nikola. But I was frozen in place. I was unable to move. 

“Now, I don’t want to have to hurt your little loves. I really don’t. But believe me when I tell you that, if push comes to shove, I’ll do it. I’ve killed avatars over less than this,” the Spider threatened. I looked down. 

“What exactly are you asking me to do?” I questioned. 

“Break it off. End it. Do whatever you must to get them out of your life, or I will,” replied the Spider coldly. I only nodded as a response, and he seemed content with this. We then left without another word to each other. I sighed and collapsed to the floor, sobbing. 

It took me another week to consider how I was to end things with Nikola and Jane. To be honest, it was mostly just me trying to make the happiness last a little bit longer. I did consider lying to them. Telling them that I was just not happy in the relationship and that I was going to leave. But it just seemed too cruel to do to them. I do not know why I didn’t think to just tell them the truth right away though. Maybe I thought they would think I was weak. Maybe I was scared that they would not believe me. I don’t know. But I tried to dodge the truth first when I finally went to break things off. 

I got home one day to the smell of sushi and ram-don. Jane had just learned how to make both and had said she would make it for Nikola and me one day. It smelt amazing and I felt a pang of sadness hit me as I realized that I would never get to come home to another surprise meal from her or Nikola again. I would never get to cook them anything to surprise them either. I felt tears forming and I could not fight them. 

“Hey! Glad you are home! Jane just finished cooking the ram-don and…” Nikola had begun, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me crying. 

“Hi,” was all I managed to say. 

“Oh, honey! What happened?!” she asked, walking over and giving me a tight hug. 

“I need to talk to you and Jane,” I replied. 

“Ok. Well, let’s get you all calmed down and taken care of, and then we can all sit down and have a lovely little chat. Does that sound ok?” Nikola offered. I nodded. 

“Yes. I… I think so,” I told her. She nodded and helped me to the couch. I sat down and swayed gently back and forth to try and calm my nerves. Nikola got me a blanket and some hot tea, and she helped me to calm down a little and breathe. Once she was sure I was doing better, she called in Jane. Both sat across from me with worry on their faces. 

“An, what is going on?” Jane asked me. 

“You know you can talk to us, right?” Nikola added. I nodded at this. 

“Yes. I know. It is just… hard to say what I have to,” I replied. 

“Take your time,” Jane encouraged. I drew in a shaking breath and then I spoke. 

“I… I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be with you both. I… I… work has just become too much, and I have to focus on that. The Web is going to try and do a ritual and I have to help,” I lied. Jane and Nikola both looked shocked. 

“W… what?” Nikola stammered. 

“I am sorry. But the Web does not attempt rituals often, and they need everyone there to help out,” I said. 

“No,” Jane muttered. 

“Jane…” Nikola began, but Jane cut her off. 

“No. Something else is up. The Web does not need to do rituals. It can just manipulate people in this world. So, no. I don’t buy it. What is really going on?” Jane snapped. 

“I don’t…” I started, but she continued. 

“Don’t lie to us! An! We love you! We care about you! Just tell us what is really going on! We will help you through it! We can help you through anything!” she shouted. I was about to try and make something up when Nikola spoke. 

“Jane Prentiss! You are out of line! If Annabelle says that the Web needs her back for a ritual, then they do! Don’t go and make this harder on her! She is hurting enough! She has to pick between her loves and her job! Her entity! That is hard enough! We need to be there to support her! Not to shame here!” Nikola scowled. 

That did it. That shattered me. Her jumping to defend me while having no proof that I was telling the truth. While having no way to know if I was being honest. And yet, she did not even hesitate to defend me. No. She leaped to my aid, and I was lying to her. To both of them. I began to sob once more. 

“Nikola… Jane is right,” I cried. 

“What?” Nikola whispered. 

“She is right. It is not a ritual. But it is the Web,” I admitted. 

“What is going on?” Jane asked me, and I told them the truth. All of it. 

When I was finished talking, Nikola and Jane were both staring at me with blank expressions covering their faces. I was unsure what I should say, or if I should say anything. I decided not to speak, worried that I would say something wrong. In the end, it was Jane who spoke first. 

“Oh… damn… An… I am so sorry,” Jane said quietly after a few moments. 

“Don’t be. This was an easy choice for me. I am never going to let the Web or any of its servants hurt you,” I replied. 

“Still… none of this is fair! It… damn it! Why does he have to do this to us?! Why does the Web have to do this?! We should be able to be happy! To be in love! Why can’t they just let us have that?! Just that one simple thing!” Jane cried out. She had worms and tears falling from her eyes. I walked over and hugged her tightly. 

“I know. I know. I wish we could have a happy ending too, but it is just not in the cards for us,” I told her sadly. 

“But I love you,” she sobbed. I kissed her forehead. 

as“I know. I love you too, Jane. Which is why I have to go. You two can still be together though if you wish to,” I suggested, not wanting to take away their happiness if they wished to remain together. 

“It would never be the same without you,” Nikola replied to this. She sounded very solemn. A tone that I disliked coming from her, for I wanted her to be happy. 

“I am sure that you would both be very happy together,” I tried to reassure them, but it did not work. So, I invited Nikola to a hug and she accepted. 

We stayed like that for quite some time. All just crying and holding each other. And as we did, memories began to flow back to me. Times when we would all spend a weekend away at some hotel or resort. When we would spend the day talking, laughing, and just having fun. Times when we would go to bars and Jane would get us banned because she would throw the darts too hard if they had darts there. Times when we would scream our lungs out at home during karaoke nights, and Jane and I both knew Nikola was better at singing than we were. Times when we would watch horror movies and rant during the movie about how inaccurate something was. We would try to connect the villains to entities, or we would argue over which movies we liked the most. The smell of Nikola’s skin cream and perfumes in the morning. Helping feed Jane’s worms. Planning our day over tea and breakfast. All the things you expect you’ll always have when you are in love… and so you take them for granted because you don’t know any better. 

“I will always love both of you,” I swore to them. 

“I will love you both as well,” Jane promised. 

“For a thousand years and more,” added Nikola. We both nodded at this, and it occurred to me as I broke the hug, gathered my things, and left the house that I would have waited a thousand years and more just to get a chance to love them again and be with them again. That I would love them for as long as I lived, even if I could not be with them. 

You know the rest of the tale thanks to Mr. Spider, I suppose. Jane and Nikola parted their ways as well, and none of us have spoken since except for official business for our entities. None of us have been the same either. When I have seen them… they seem so different than before. Jane more so than Nikola. She seems so alone. Or… seemed so alone. 

_Seemed?_

I have not seen her in quite some time. I used to see her around various places, planting her worms or just walking around. But I haven’t seen her lately. The last time I did see her was around here, actually. But I lost track of her and I have not seen her since. 

_If you could see either of them… what would you tell them? What would you want to tell them?_

What does it matter? I can’t. The Spider doesn’t allow me to speak to them unless strictly about work. And he can tell. He would know and he would hurt them if I dared to try and speak to them about something else. 

_You might not be able to, but I could. I could pass a message along to them for you if you would like that._

Y… you would do that? But why? You… you hate the Web, don’t you? 

_While that might be true, I have no reason to hate you. You never really wanted to be a part of all this, from the sounds of it. You didn’t ask for the Web to try and take me as an avatar. From the sounds of it, you had nothing at all to do with that. So, it would be unfair for me to hate you for the workings of your entity. And I believe… no… I know you deserve a chance to reach out to them again. So, what would you want to say to them?_

Oh… well… I would tell them that I would love them for a thousand years and that I would love them for a thousand more after that if given the chance. That I will always love them and always wait for them no matter what. 

_That is… that is really beautiful. I swear to you that I will do everything I can to try and find them and deliver your message to them._

Thank you. You are too kind. Now, I should be off. I do have business to take care of for the Web. People to ensnare. All that sort of thing. I will see you around, Liana. 

_See you around. Be safe and take care._

You as well. 

_I feel awful for Ms. Cane. Having to let go of the ones you love like that. Having to abandon them to protect them from the being you are to serve… it is too cruel. I suppose I can only hope that, should I become an avatar, my entity shall not expect the same from me._

_Mr. Spider had been looking around here for Jane and Nikola. I am going to search around the archives to see if I can find them. I mean, Miss Cane did mention that she saw Jane last around here, so who knows? Maybe I will be able to find them here after all._

_Statement Ends._

_Supplemental_

_I have found something rather odd. There… there appears to be some sort of tunnels under the archives. A lot of them, actually. I have been wandering around here for quite some time now, and they seem to be… well… never-ending. I think I might be lost, but then sometimes I will see something that looks familiar. I hope I will be able to find my way back up to the archives. I have my mobile with me, but there does not appear to be service, so I cannot call up to get help._

_On the plus side though, I have seen signs that someone has been living down here. I have seen scraps of food or beverage containers, and I think I even saw a sleeping bag. It could be either Nikola or Jane. Why they would be living down here is truly beyond me, but maybe they are hiding from something. Or from someone. Wait! I hear something! Hello!_

~~Hello there. You must be from the Institute then.~~

_Um… kind of… and you are? Oh! Wait! Oh my gosh! Jane? Jane Prentiss?!_

~~Live and in the flesh… so to speak, I suppose.~~

_This is wonderful! I… wait… w… what are you doing down here? Why are there so many worms? M… Miss Prentiss?_

~~ Oh, nothing much. Just trying to get a little game started. Trying to… get my roots in. ~~

_Those… wait… what do you mean?_

~~You are not part of the Eye, are you? So, I suppose it would not hurt to tell you this. I am going to destroy the domain of The One Who Watches, then I will destroy the Archivist, and then the Eye itself. My darlings here will finally have a feast. A feast that they and I have longed for and that we deserve.~~

_I… no! No! You can’t do that! I am not going to let you! I am going to tell Jon and he will stop you!_

Haha! Run all you wish! My dear, it will not help you now! You are in far too deep!

_I managed to find my way out of the tunnels. I just ran and ran and eventually got out, luckily for me. I need to find Jon. I need to tell him…_

**Oh! Hello, Liana. What are you doing here?**

_Mr. Bouchard! Thank goodness! There… something happened! There are these tunnels under the Institute and I need your help!_

**Oh? Whatever is the matter?**

_It is Ms. Prentiss! She is going to try and attack the Institute!_

**Alright, take a moment to calm down. Now, does anyone else know about this? About the tunnels?**

_No! I just got back from the tunnels and you are the first person I’ve told! That is why we have to hurry and warn them all! We have to tell Mr. Sims and… wait… Mr. Bouchard?_

**I truly am sorry for this, Liana, but Jon must now know this yet. He… I am afraid he is not ready to hear this.**

_M… Mr. Bouchard… please… please put the pipe down. Please._

**Don’t be scared, Liana. It won’t hurt. At least, not for long.**

_No! Mr. Bouchard! Wait! Ple…_


End file.
